Olé

TITANS... ON THE WAY TO MADRID!

2008-05-31T19:42:00.001-07:00

DAY 16: MUSEO ARQUEOLOGICO

2007-06-19T19:04:00.000-07:00

Recreation of the Altamira Caves (people are not allowed in the real ones anymore).

Australopitechus' skull compared to a chimpance's skull. Find the differences, if you can... (besides size).

TOMORROW: FREE- FAMILY DAY
THURSDAY: SHOPPING DAY AROUND LA CASTELLANA Y RECOLETOS

DAY 15: PEDRAZA / SEPULVEDA

2007-06-18T20:52:00.000-07:00

Pedraza....

This was a bad day for the camera. The memory card setting didn't allow me to take more than 7 pictures. AHHHHH!!! I just fixed it... but it was too late. Anyhow, the kids took care of it and they have plenty of pictures. As soon as I get those from them, I'll post them up! In the meantime, you have a couple of pictures from PEDRAZA and some stories to read...

Pedraza de la Sierra is percheed high over rolling countryside. It is a quaint little village... very little. Silence was everywhere and we asked ourselves how something this quiet could be only an hour and a half away from the cosmopolitan noise of Madrid. If we saw 15 people in total, I would be exagerating. It was almost a moment of magnificence: us, the tourists in the middle of a medieval (XI century) "nowhere."

Within Pedraza's medieval walls, old streets lead pasts mansions to the porticoed Plaza Mayor. The huge castle (strategically positioned to cover all the panoramic view), standing on a rocky outcrop, was owned by Basque artist Ignacio Zuloaga. The castle museum show some of his works; unfortunately, it was closed. On the first and second Saturdays of July, candlelit concerts are held in Plaza Mayor.

We spent an hour in this town, hopped in the bus and in 15 minutes we arrived in Sepulveda. This spectacular town is sited on a slope above the Río Duratón. This area of striking beauty has been designated a natural park, the Parque Natural de las Hoces del Duratón. They also have a natural reserve for vultures (we were actually looking up to the sky watching out for them.... just kidding!).

The "Cordero" (lamb) in this town is legendary all over the world. So we had to have cordero. Consuelo, our Gonzaga's guide for today said that it was a must!!! We searched for typical "Figones" (restaurants exclusively reserved for cordero, prepared in wood ovens- Is that how you say it in English?? I doubt it, but you guys get the idea!). Well... the owner of the Figón himself greeted us and brought us into the kitchen to see with our own eyes the oven and the cordero in it!!!!!!!!!!!!! We sat and had homemade bread, a tasty salad and cordero... the most tender, juicy and delicious cordero I've ever had! It had a smoky flavor in the background. Very subtle. Heaven. Thinking about how authentic everything was almost brought my eyes to tears from excitement... The owner, the food, the ambience, the search for the place, the way the served us. Fantastic experience!!!!!!!!!! Kids enjoyed it a lot too!! They were doubting a little at the beginning but once they lost their "fear," they "devoured" their corderos!

Afterwards, heaven sent us a very helpful "walk" that helped our stomachs to "process" the hard-to-digest cordero. We got lost looking for the bus stop... in Sepúlveda... a very small town.... we got lost in Sepúlveda (please, don't tell anybody...). Once we found Mario, the bus driver, he laughed at us: "¿Se perdieron en Sepúlveda????" (Did you guys get lost in Sepúlveda?").

Anyways... travel stories... a trip wouldn't be a trip without this type of stories...

TOMORROW: MUSEO DE ARQUEOLOGÍA

Today I celebrate my two-year anniversary!!!
Happy anniversary, my love.....

REAL MADRID CAMPEON!!!!

2007-06-17T22:47:00.000-07:00

How lucky can one be... Catching this moment in Madrid was a cultural experience...!!!!!

DAY 11: AVILA

2007-06-14T20:29:00.000-07:00

Titans in Avila!!!

At 3,710 ft. above sea level, Avila de los Caballeros ("of the Knights") is the highest provincial capital in Spain. In winter access roads can be blocked with snow, and at night the temperature plummets (we actually had to wear sweatchers in June!). The centre of the city is encircled by the finest preserved medieval walls in Europe. The walls are open to visitors. One of the best views of the walls is from "Los Cuatro Postes" (Four Posts) on the road to Salamanca. Mario, the bus driver, took us there to appreciate the view before entering the town.

Built in the 12th century, the walls are over a mile long. The oldest sections of the wall are guarded by nine impressive gateways, like "Puerta de San Vicente." The apse of the cathedral also forms part of the walls.

One of the things that we enjoyed the most in Avila was lunch. We had paella, rissotto and the most wonderful dessert... definitely for chocolate lovers!!! (see pictures below).

Yemas, a delicious lemony treat from Avila, were a must try for us. Well... most of us... This custardy cakes are made with egg yolks and sugar... like that: YOLKS and SUGAR. It is definiteley an aquired taste but unique!!!!!!

TOMORROW: WITH FAMILIES, until sunday!

We learned two things with this sign: (1) Abulences, name given to people from Avila and (2) Yemas, typical dessert from Avila

Details of Avila's Cathedral

Avila's Plaza de Mercado "La Grande" (there's another one called "La Chica")

Having an extraordinary lunch... and dessert, as always.... yum!

Will couldn't resist to have this picture taken with "El burro" ...

And Desiree couldn't help having this one... "Attacking Jamón Serrano"

Walking on the medieval wall...

Walking towards "puerta de San Vincente"

María, our guide from Gonzaga in Avila (she went to college in this town)

Loving "casual" pictures...

Looking for the bus stop, where we were supposed to meet our bus... Kathleen has the best sense of orientation in the group!!! Emily was the best photographer, Desiree was exhausted and Will... the umbrella man!!! Sir Will carried this umbrellas during the whole tour around Avila... what a gentleman!

DAY 10: VALLE DE LOS CAIDOS / EL ESCORIAL

2007-06-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

As spooky as it may sound, today was the "death day." Well... kind of. We visited two of the most outstanding edifications in the province of Madrid, both dedicated to death... both conceived as mausoleums: "Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caídos" and
"El Escorial" Palace.

Visiting "El Valle" was a "pharaonic experience." More than 10,000 years ago, Egypt built magnificent structures to honor their great governors (well, pharaons ordered their constructions before dying). In the other hand, Spain, had a dictator whose governement (dictatorship, I must say) has divided the country politically for many generations. Almost as a self-considered "pharaon," he also ordered the construction of his own magnificent mausoleum.

General Franco had the Holy Cross of the Valley of the Fallen built as a memorial to those who died in the Civil War. The vast cross is located some 8 miles north of El Escorial and dominates the surrounding countryside. Some Spanish people find it too chilling a symbol of the dictatorship to be enjoyable, while for others its sheer size is rewarding (Can you tell how divided the political views are?)

The cross is 490 ft. high and rises above a basilica carved 820 ft. deep into the rock by prisoners. A number of them are said to have died in the 20-year-plus project. A funicular connects the basilica with the base of the cross, but access to the top of the cross is not permitted.

Next to the basilica's high altar is the plin white tombstone of Franco and opposite, that of Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera (founder of the Falange Española party). A further 40,000 coffins of soldiers from both sides in the Civil War lie here out of sight, including those of two unidentified victims.

Later we took the bus to "EL Escorial." Felipe II's imposing grey palace of San Lorenzo de El Escorial stands out against the foothills of the Sierra de Guadarrama to the northwest of Madrid. It was built between 1563 and 1584 in honour of St. Lawrence and its unornamented severity set a new architectural style which became one of the most influential in Spain. The interior was conceived as a mausoleum and contemplative retreat rather than a splendid residence. Its artistic wealth, which includes some of the most important works of art of the royal Habsburg collections, is concentrated in the museums, chapterhouses, church, royal pantheon and library. In contrast, the royal aprtments are remarkably humble.

After this impressive visit to the "dead," stomachs started to roar. We went to an Italian restaurant (kids mentioned earlier that they were craving for pasta). We had Gnocci, Spaguetti al Pesto, Baked Goat cheese, Melanzane (eggplant) a la parmegianna, Salmon Lasagna... and for dessert: Tiramisu and gelato... What a hard life, isn't it?

Should I mentioned that Emily, Desiree and Kathleen got a couple of cars to beep and scream "Guapas" (handsome, beautiful) a couple of times? Should I mention that Will is being called the twin of the guy in "High School Musical" by most of the female student body at Gonzaga?

TOMORROW: ÁVILA

El Valle de los Caídos

Going up to the top in the funicular!!

The view of the valley from the top

The cross that costed many lives...

Our seasoned travellers in action (or should I say... photographers?)

Silvia, our Gonzaga's guide for today (she is also Nick's wife, our guide for Toledo... remember??)

Going down, again...

EL ESCORIAL, from the interior patio (pictures were not allowed inside... unfortunately)

Posing with the Escorial as a background :)

More Escorial pictures

Having lunch at ROMPICAPO, a nice Italian restaurant...

DAY 9: DAY 2 AT GONZAGA

2007-06-12T18:39:00.000-07:00

The "A-Team," at one of Gonzaga's halls

Today we enjoyed a more relaxed day at Gonzaga. We were all tired (Toledo involved a lot of up-hill walking) but eager to experience another chance of sharing a day at a spanish school.

We started with an Informática class (Computers) with Reyes, the "computer savy" teacher here. Later, we took a Spanish class where we learned how the celtics influenced Spain, specifically on the northern area of the Iberian peninsula: Celtics were the first inhabitants of Galicia. We watched a movie that recreated the Galician Mythology, called "El Bosque Encantado" (The Enchanted Forest). It was extremely challenging and interesting to watch a whole movie with "acento gallego" (Galician accent). Later, we played a game called ALTO!... to practice some more Spanish. It was fun and it actually refreshed loooots of terms!!!

After the precious "half-an-hour" break for lunch, we went to the computer lab just to catch up with e-mails and communication with friends. Later, we had a Math class (it was more Geometry) were we did another relaxing activity: "reflecting" and "coloring." It was a nice way to end the day.

And that was it... we all went home to rest (except for Desiree and Kathleen who decided to play soccer afterwards... and Emily, who went shopping to "El Corte Inglés") :)

TOMORROW: EL VALLE DE LOS CAIDOS/EL ESCORIAL

In the English Lab, before watching "El Bosque Encantado" (The enchanted Forest)

Playing ALTO (Stop)... with María José

DAY 8: TOLEDO

2007-06-11T20:56:00.000-07:00

Panoramic view of Toledo...

Picturesquely sited on a hill above the river "Tajo" is the historic city of Toledo. Behind the old walls lies much evidence of the city's rich history. The Romans built a fortress on the site of the present-day Alcázar. The Visigoths made Toledo their capital in the 6th century AD, and left behind several churches. In the Middle Ages, Toledo was a melting pot of Christian, Muslim and Jewish cultures, and it was during this period that the city's most outstanding monument -its cathedral- was built. In the 16th century the painter El Greco came to live in Toledo and today the city is home to many of his works (Greco's masterpiece "The Burial of the Count of Orgaz" is housed by the Iglesia Santo Tomé... where, for obvious reasons, pictures weren't allowed).

Toledo is about an hour away from Madrid. We first drove around the city to have a panoramic view of this magnificent place. Our companions were Mario (the driver), who is a "gato" (popular name for people from Madrid)... and Nick, an English teacher at Gonzaga (from Indiana, US!!!). Although you can drive inside of the walled city (well... for those who dare to manage the narrow streets, full of tourists, behind the wheel) it is best explored by foot. So... we walked... WE REALLY WALKED!

It was 11:30 when we arrived so we decided to have lunch before starting to walk. We stopped at "Cafe Toledo," where Carlos (the happy waiter) made our lunch delightful. We had pizzas and paella... and we also tried a delicious MORCILLA.

After "filling our tanks," we "embarked" on a Toledan travesy! A quaint city, full of little stores, history and different cultures. It is, perhaps, the only place in the world where a Synagogue gets the very Catholic name of "Santa María la Blanca" or the only place where you find a Mosque that celebrates Christ with its name. We also had the luck to enjoy some of the decorations left from Corpus Christi, the biggest feast in town. Fantastic!

Please check some of the pictures of our experience in this outstanding museum city... a magical place with a rich architectural and artistic heritage, derived from an unbelievable coalescence of Muslim, Christian and Jewish cultures (and medieval and Reinassance ideas and influences).

FYI: For future reference... if you plan to visit Toledo, wear reaaaaaaaaaaallllly comfortable shoes. The kids did; the chaperone did not (keds aren't made for walking).

TOMORROW: DAY 2 AT GONZAGA

A whole bus for us! On the road, going to TOLEDO!

Mario, who drove us to Toledo

Having lunch at "Cafe Toledo"

Street in... (guess where).... Toledo!!!!!

Famous "Toledan ceramics"

Domenikos Theotocopoulos a.k.a. "El Greco"

"Santa María La Blanca"- The oldest and largest of the city's original Synagogues, this monument dates back to the 12th century. In 1405 it was taken over as a church by San Vincente Ferrer after expulsion of Jews. Restoration has returned it to its original beauty- carved stone capitals and wall panels stand out against white horseshoe arches and plastework.

Different scenes... travelling to the past and back to the future!!

Nick, our guide from Gonzaga

"Mezquita Cristo de la Luz" (Christ of the Light Mosque)- This Mosque, one of the city's two remaining Muslim buildings, dates from around AD 1000. Unfortunately it was closed for archeological research.

DAY 5: A DAY AT GONZAGA

2007-06-08T09:20:00.000-07:00

Today the kids' brains were overstimulated by 8 continuous hours of Spanish at school (well... except for the couple of English classes where they collaborated with the English activities). It was a fun day and kids were in heaven: they were the center of attention of the whole school.

We started with a tour around Gonzaga with Sonia, who coordinates the exchange program here. She also prepared a game for Spanish fluency called TABU... and the kids rocked! Later, we attended a Spanish Language class, where they participated in a group activity (students needed to write an opinion article about particular news - they were comparing the subjective tone from the objective one in news writing). Then, we played "Police and Robbers" in the English class. We were the "criminals" creating the perfect alibi to not get caught... but we didn't succeed. Apparently, we will not make good criminals... thank God!

Then we had a delicious lunch in a marvelous "hour and a half" lunch break. Physical Education came next and a Religion class was the most challenging of all. Felix, the Philosophy and Religion teacher, gave a lecture where he compared Judaism and Islam... in Spanish! At the end, we attended another English class where each of our Trinity students were interviewed by different groups. Ayyyyyyyy! Long, interesting and stimulating day! Desireé even commented that it was getting easier and easier to understand everything.

At 4:30 the kids departed with their respective hosts. Apparently 20 students at Gonzaga are going with them to the "mercadillo" tomorrow, an open market in Majadahonda. They were also talking about going to the pool and watching a soccer game.

Let's see... You'll need to check OLÉ next week to get information about their weekend!
MONDAY: TOLEDO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PS: If I haven't mentioned it, you can get to see the pictures on this site with more detail, by clicking on them...
¡Feliz fin de semana! (Happy weekend)

DAY 4: REINA SOFIA

2007-06-07T19:04:00.000-07:00

Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía

We met at school at 9:00 a.m. for a day at MUSEO NACIONAL CENTRO DE ARTE REINA SOFÍA. Desireé was back with us! We all talked about how enriching is to experience being sick and away from home… away from mom (especially now, when college time seems so close). Anyhow, her Spanish mom took great care of her and she was fine now… (but I made sure that she had plenty of water during the day ☺.)

Our guide for the day was another English teacher at Gonzaga (there are MANY!). Her name is Sofía, just like the queen's name. She teaches kids from 6th and 7th grade. We all took the train to Atocha and walked three blocks to the museum. Emily didn’t like looking down through the glass while going up in the elevator but we saw many of the cafés from there.

The highlight of this museum of 20th century art is Picasso’s “Guernica.” There are, however, other major works by influential artists, including Miró. The collection is housed in Madrid’s former General Hospital, built in the late 18th century. That’s why “some of the rooms look like a bathroom,” as Will mentioned.

The permanent collection traces art chronologically, starting on the second floor. The third floor displays works from mid-1930s to 1960s and the fourth floor continues through to present day works. Individual rooms are allocated to significant artist such as Dalí, Miró and Picasso.

Emily had a lot of fun writing down the names of the artists that moved her. She was very impressed with Miró’s and Juan Gris’ work; not too much with Picasso. Kathleen searched for Rothko (her favorite artist) for a long time, but we never found him. In any case, she literally "lost herself" in admiring the art. Desireé and Will enjoyed everything, except the lack of "enough" benches. After a while, we decided to take it easy (for Des and the whole group’s legs). We went to the gift shop and then grabbed a table at one of the closest cafes for lunch.

Some of us had a delicious “vegetable paella.” Others had burgers that weren’t too good (that's God's way of suggesting to order a typical plate). Later, we went back to Atocha but now through a different gate: we went through the older part of the station, built of glass and wrought iron, which now houses an indoor palm garden. It was interesting to see a tropical ambience in the midst of an urban temperature and setting.

And that was it! We were at Gonzaga at 4:00 p.m.
Few pictures but here they are... !
TOMORROW: A DAY AT SLG (San Luis Gonzaga) SCHOOL

In the elevator with Sofía our guide.

View from the elevator

Menu at the "Terraza" where we had lunch... Many options for paella...

LUNCH!!!

In the train, going back "home".... Graffittis in the background...

DAY 3: PALACIO REAL/TEATRO REAL

2007-06-06T08:43:00.000-07:00

The Royal Palace and Trinity's "A-Team"

Today was a "Royal" day, except for Desiree's absence. She was sick and stayed at home to get better. We missed her the entire day and wished she would have enjoyed the tour.

Our Gonzaga's companion for today was Seamus, an irish English teacher at the school, who has lived in Spain for 9 years. His wife is from Toledo- the reason why people often call him BOLO (nickname given to people from Toledo).

Well... we took the bus to Madrid with Seamus, instead of the train. Then, in Atocha Station, we took the metro to downtown Madrid. We walked for 10-15 minutes and the palace appeared in front of our eyes, with its majestic gardens and facade. On the opposite side of the street, the theater... a building that looked more modern (it was actually built in 1850), but equally gorgeous.

The palace wasn't going to open until 1:00 (it was about 10:10 am) because there were doing some changes inside. We decided, then, to start with the theater. While we waited for the next guided tour (at 11:00), we visited the gift store (which had an impressive collection of operas in cds, dvds and solfeo). Afterwards, we started the tour with a very charismatic guide: a madrileña who happened to live in Colombia (my country) and in the USA. Uh???????

Isn't life wonderful? Everything seems to connect as if the world was a puzzle.

The theater was spectacularly ornamented with colorfull carpets and original "royal" art. The tour lasted about an hour and then we went to VIPS to have lunch. On the way to the restaurant, the girls stopped to shop for "Real Madrid's" souvenirs (Spain's most important soccer club team) and Will stopped to try some flamenco guitars.

At 1:30 we went to the palace and waited in a long line for about 45 minutes. The kids faught about which of them was the owner of the "palace." Words fall short to describe each of the rooms. Cameras were not allowed. Sorry guys...

The heat is starting to make its entrance in Spain. We were tired but extremely happy. We made our way back to school, feeling like "queens" and "kings." I called to ask for Desiree and I was told that she was in the garden, talking to Kathleen and Emily. She was doing great!

Please, check out the pictures from "Our Royal Majesty"
For more info about the Theater or Palace, visit the links on the right -below the message board- in this site.

TOMORROW: DAY 4 - MUSEO NACIONAL REINA SOFIA

Teatro Real (Royal Theatre)

Inside the Royal Theater

Panoramic view of the palace from the theater

Will, trying his desired flamenco guitars... the NO TOCAR (Do not touch) sign was discovered after 20 minutes. People at the store never said anything... Rules do not always apply in this country... :)

Metro station at "Puerta del Sol"

Looking for a place to have lunch...

Seamus, our Gonzaga's 'guide' for today. He is Irish, but his soul is as spanish as Spain :)

Welcome to our house... the Royal Palace!

On our way back to Majadahonda...

In Majadahonda, one block away from the school

DAY 2: MUSEO DEL PRADO/HUERTAS

2007-06-05T19:32:00.000-07:00

At "Estación de Atocha" (Atocha Station)

Today, Salvador Dalí didn't seem as original as we thought. As much as we like him, we couldn't help seeing El Bosco's influence on the surrealist's thought and art. "El Jardín de las Delicias" was painted between 1503-1504 but it could easily pass for an "avant-garde" painting from the 20th century. Ideas are never reinvented: they are re-created.

A realization like this makes life much more interesting... it reminds us that each day brings its lesson with it.

Today, "Trinity's A-team" visited "El Museo del Prado." We rediscovered the paintings that we've seen for years on our Spanish books: "El 3 de Mayo" by Goya, "Las Meninas" by Velázqez, etc. It was both interesting and shocking to see the museum full of kindergarden field-trips and teachers explaining the relevance of each of the paintings to the 5 year old ones (Art isn't something you "visit" once in a while in this country... it is just part of life!).

You guys want to laugh? Well... We had a small but great lunch at the museum. Kathleen and I went to the cafeteria counter to complaint about Kat's bitter yoghurt. It was a natural flavored one that showed a "9/06" (SEPTEMBER/06!!!) as an expiration date. The kitchen women laughed hard... the 9 stands for the day, the 06 for June. The natural yoghurt is bitter here and spaniards add some sugar to it before eating it.... :)

María José was our guide for the day. She is another English teacher at Gonzaga. As many other young "madrileñas," she lives close to the museum (historic madrid) in an area called "Huertas." We had the fortune of having her to show us "her" piece of Madrid, an artsy and literary street filled with cafés, flamenco stores and restaurants. The biggest Spanish literary masters used to live in this area and many are still present with their lines or verses written on the floor.

We stopped at Café ELHECHO (game of words between El Hecho -The Fact- and Helecho -a type of plant) for "un café" and soda. Then we saw the old Hotel Victoria, where many of the great "Matadores" or "Toreros" used to stay when they visited Madrid. Afterwards we made our way back to "Atocha Station," where we took the "Cercanías" train to Majadahonda. Once in Majadahonda, we took the bus to Gonzaga to meet our hosts... I think the Jet-lag is starting to show some effects on our faces.

There are no pictures of El Prado (cameras were not allowed), but here you have some other images of our second day in Spain.
TOMORROW: DAY 3- PALACIO REAL (Royal Palace)/TEATRO REAL (Royal Theater)/MADRID's DOWNTOWN

Outside "El Prado"

Walking at "Huertas"

Café ELHECHO

Quevedo and Cervantes are still alive in "Huertas" through their writing!

Hotel Victoria

Ministerio de Agricultura (Spain's Agriculture Department)

Back to Atocha Station

Waiting for the train... waiting for the bus...

DAY 1: PANORAMIC MADRID

2007-06-04T19:15:00.000-07:00

Before the tour... With Fanny, our outstanding guide for the day (English Teacher at Gonzaga)

Ok... Here we are!!! After resting last night, we started our "Day One" at Colegio San Luis Gonzaga. We met at 9:00 a.m. and boarded a bus, with many other spanish students (they were going to visit the Congress Building). We were introduced to Fanny, our fantastic guide! She is an English teacher at the school and happened to live in the US for a long time (she is actually Italian). Her enthusiasm for the city's history and details was contagious... She was also an excellent "cutural translator" and gave precious tips about how to understand the Spanish culture and how to explain the American culture to a spaniard. It was trully an enriching and vivid "cross-cultural understanding" lesson.

After separating from the Spanish group, we boarded the "Madrid Vision" tour bus. We took the Historic/Monumental tour, which was a great start for the whole experience. Then we took a walk around "La Plaza Mayor," "La Puerta del Sol," "La Gran Vía"... We had the chance to appreciate the architectural richness of Madrid and the general ambience. Cleaner than we imagined, greener than we imagined... Apparently, the "Saturday-atmosphere" is permanent in this city: streets full of tourists and locals, people resting under the sun in "El Parque del Retiro," accordeons and trumpets giving us a soundtrack for the tour (with tangos, cuban son and italian mellodies) cafés filled with people, school kids singing "Miralá, miralá... es la puerta de Alcalá" (for a news cameraman)...

...and it was Monday!

Take a look at some of the pictures... they speak louder than words...
TOMORROW: DAY 2- Museo del Prado/Congreso (Prado Museum/Congress Building)

"Madrid Vision"- Our "hop-on hop-off city tour bus"

"La Puerta de Alcalá" (Alcalá's Door)

"Plaza Colón" (Columbus' Plaza)

"Correos" (Madrid's Post Office)

"La Catedral" y "La Cripta" (Cathedral and "La Cripta")

"La Gran Vía" - Entrance

At "Plaza Mayor"

Stopping at a café for refreshments

"Palacio de los Cristales" en el "Parque del Retiro" ("Crystal Palace" at the "Retirement Park")

At "Parque del Retiro"

"Miralá, Miralá..."

Back at Gonzaga

FLYING...

2007-06-03T03:45:00.000-07:00

While our biological watch reads 3:05 a.m., in Madrid is 9:05 a.m. We are still flying over the Atlantic and the estimated time for arrival is 10:40 a.m. “Exhausted” is an adjective that falls short, when describing how we feel. The overwhelming excitement is paying off its toll and, gladly, sent us all to sleep through the flight.

Right now, I am the only one awake. The kids are still “soñando” (Spanish for dreaming).

The flight has been great. The absence of turbulence has almost been a good presage for the up-coming exciting times. The only inconvenient were the delays (which, in these days, almost seem a mandatory experience): first in Richmond, where we ended up leaving at 3:45 p.m. (and not 2:35) and then in Newark, where we departed at 10:30 p.m. (instead of 8:10)… I guess it’s all part of the trip. We all agreed that it could have been worse. Besides, we enjoyed the wait by reading and playing cards in the middle of the gate’s floor (the kids taught the chaperone how to play BS).

Wow, breakfast is coming! The flight attendants are walking right next to us. Will mentioned that dinner was particularly good (the two options were beef/mashed potatoes and chicken/rice)… I hope breakfast fulfills the positive expectations. Everyone got up to eat, except for Emily (who has preferred to continue sleeping.) Desiree and Kathleen woke up chatting, as if they have risen from a long and comfortable sleep.

I have the best group of kids with me. It is really a wonderful group.

Look out Spain… here we come!

Waiting at Richmond's gate...

Playing BS while waiting in Newark

Tired... still in Newark

Ready to Go!!! Flight CO 62Y to Madrid

Over the Atlantic

ARE YOU PACKED YET?

2007-05-29T13:10:00.000-07:00

"Guernica" by Pablo Picasso

COMING SOON!

2007-05-27T09:18:00.000-07:00

This site will be a "journal" for the upcoming TES' Foreign Exchange Program trip to Spain. The trip will take place on 06/02/2007.